Google is in talks to acquire mobile-payments company Softcard in a deal that would pair the Internet giant with the largest U.S. wireless carriers to battle Apple Inc. and its new Apple Pay service, according to people familiar with the matter.

Softcard, owned by AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile USA, laid off more than 60 employees last week and remaining staff were told to stop working while the business sought a buyer, two of the people said.

Google recently entered exclusive negotiations with Softcard by offering to buy the business for at least $50 million, one of those people said. PayPal, the payments business that eBay plans to spin off this year, also expressed interest in Softcard, two of the people said. They said Softcard’s telecom-company owners prefer Google because they all distribute phones that use Google’s Android mobile-operating system.